Love Like This
by slstmaraudersjple
Summary: She intrigued him in all her innocence and naivety. He wanted her. And once he had her, he would never let her go. Grantedshipping. Slightly OOC/AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Love Like This**

Disclaimer: See my profile.

Summary: She intrigued him in all her innocence and naivety. He wanted her. And once he had her, he would never let her go. Grantedshipping. Slightly OOC/AU.

**Prelude**

She ran.

"Come on Pika, run faster!" She shouted, one hand gripping the brim of her straw hat and the other frantically waving at the horde of Beedrill chasing them. Pika was at her heels, jus as panicked as she was.

They were in the middle of the forest, training. Yellow had run to the side in order to avoid getting fried by one of Pika's thunderbolts and accidentally ran into the beehive.

…which explained the predicament they were in now. Both were exhausted from the training, and really were in no condition to be running. But desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Pika Pikachu!" Pika chittered frantically, warning her that the Beedrill were close at their tails (so to speak).

Yellow glanced behind her, seeing the swarm of bees only a few feet behind, drills extended and ready to do some damage.

"Move, Pika!" She shouted, grabbing the mouse and shielding it with her body, crouching into a semi-dome shape and mentally preparing herself for the inevitable pain to come.

"Dragonair, thunder wave." A cool, familiar voice spoke from above.

There was a flash of bright light and all the Beedrill retreated.

Yellow looked up to see—

"…Lance?" The small girl questioned, surprised at the sudden appearance of the Dragon Master.

Said Dragon Master, who was currently standing atop his Pokemon, ordered the Dragonair to descend gracefully (as always) to the ground before recalling the dragon back into its Pokeball. He glanced at their current surroundings before finally speaking.

"I was passing by when I noticed your… dilemma. It won't happen again." He informed her coolly.

"Pikaaa…" Pika growled, electricity sparking from his cheeks as he glared at Lance, ready to jump and attack at any moment.

"Do you really think you can stop me?" The Dagon Master challenged coldly. "Look at you, all battered up. I can easily flatten you in one blow." He stated calmly, before turning to the healer and questioning her. "Where are you heading?"

Said healer looked at him, surprised, before uttering, "…Blackthorn."

Lance hid his surprise. "Hm. It looks like we're heading the same way. Let us be off then."

There was a flash of light as Dragonair reappeared at his feet. Lance gracefully pulled himself atop the dragon's head and looked at Yellow expectantly.

"Er…" The girl looked at him in confusion, and that confusion turned to panic as she felt herself being pulled upwards. Pika shouted in surprise as his current mistress was lifted away from him, and he jumped and climbed up to her shoulder. Yellow looked down and saw that Dragonair had lifted her up with its tail and put her dangling face-to-face with its master.

"Well, do you want to walk and risk being attacked like that again?" The Dragon Master asked pleasantly. The young healer shook her head. "Well then, ware you coming or not?" She nodded frantically, and Dragonair put her down next to its owner.

The dragon then proceeded to gracefully float through the sky.

The sudden lack of support sent Yellow stumbling, and the young girl fell backwards, closing her eyes tightly and bracing herself for the impact.

She fell into a strong hold as Lance snapped one arm out to catch her.

"Clumsy, are we?"

She blushed in embarrassment while Pika turned to fiercely glare at the Dragon Master.

"Umm… you can let me go now…" Yellow informed him nervously.

"And will you lose your balance again?" He asked.

She shook her head fiercely.

He let her go and gave a signal to Dragonair.

Without warning, the dragon took off at an extremely fast pace, causing her to give a shout as she fell backwards again.

This time, Lance caught her and sat them both down. "Try not to fall off again."

He smirked as she blushed so hard she thought her face would explode. He looked at her for a moment before turning his attention back to the road and remarking, "We should be there in a couple hours before night falls."

She looked at Pika before lifting him off her shoulder and placing him on her lap, scratching him behind his ears. Pika purred in contentment as he got comfortable and settled down. Before she knew it, she was asleep, dozing off while leaning against the Dragon Master.

---x---x---x---

Lance hid his surprise at the sudden weight he found himself supporting. He looked to the side and found Yellow leaning against him, asleep. Red's Pikachu was sleeping on the young boy's lap.

After an hour had passed and the younger boy didn't look like he would be waking up any time soon, Lance resigned himself to being the boy's makeshift pillow. Not that he had any choice in the first place.

A particularly strong gust of wind knocked Yellow's hat into Lance's face. Startled, the Dragon Master snatched the offending article away. When his vision cleared, he found himself in the biggest shock of his life.

He… was a _she_.

Lance quickly recovered from his shock, turning his attention to the young healer.

Her light blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail, framing her heart-shaped face. She was petite, her baggy clothes serving to disguise her gender. However, he noticed, it wouldn't be long before the most baggy of clothing would be ineffective to hide her gender. She was 14 years old the last time they met, he recalled, which would make her 16 now. She had developed more curves since then, and he wondered what she would look like with more feminine, form fitting clothing.

He smirked to himself. He would remedy that last part as soon as he could.

"Nair?" Dragonair's soft question interrupted his thinking. The dragon was wondering why he wasn't going to the other members of the Elite Four as planned and why the sudden detour to Blackthorn.

"I'm intrigued." The Dragon Master answered briefly and honestly as he observed the young girl.

It had been quite some time since he was last interested in a member of the opposite gender. But looking at her innocent and trusting face, and remembering her naivety, he decided he was intrigued.

He wanted her.

_End Chapter 1._


	2. Chapter 2

_To Amphoteric and ShinakaStar:_

Thank you for your support! It means a lot to me! I do fully intend on finishing this ficcy. (By the way, I'm almost done drafting it!)

_To Farla:_

_Dialogue is written as "Hello," he said or "Hello!" he said, never "Hello." He said or "Hello." he said or "Hello," He said or "Hello" he said. The only exception to this is if the next sentence doesn't contain a speech verb, in which case it's written as "Hello." He grinned, never "Hello," he grinned or "Hello," He grinned. Note that something isn't a speech verb just because it's a sound you make with your mouth, so generally stuff like laughed or giggled is in the second category._

_Furthermore, if you're breaking up two complete sentences it's "Hi," he said. "This is it." not "Hi," he said, "this is it." or "Hi," he said "this is it." And if you're breaking up a sentence in the middle, it's "Hi. This," he said, "is it." If there's no speech verb in the break, you use a dash, like "Hi. This - " He looked around. "- is it."_

_You wouldn't capitalize animal or mouse or dragon, so you shouldn't capitalize words like pokemon or pikachu or charizard. The only time you should capitalize it is if you're using it as the pokemon's name, ie, Ash's pikachu is called Pikachu. This is because you only capitalize when it's a proper noun, which are the names of places or things. Similar reasoning should be applied to any other words you're thinking of capitalizing, like telephone or trainer. Or professor._

_And you seem to be resorting to the tired romance trope of "and then he just did, okay!" Which is pretty much a terrible thing to base your pairing on._

I am quite aware that I don't have perfect grammar, and that this story is somewhat out of character and cliché. I intended to write it like this. That's why I put 'slightly OOC/AU'. It means 'slightly out of character/alternate universe' in case you didn't know.

I capitalize 'Pokemon' because it's something I'm used to. I see it as a proper noun. Most people look at the entire story, not the grammar details. I write just for fun. I'm not aiming to be a professional writer; this was just something I thought I would do for fun and share with other fans.

Nobody asked you to read or review my story. However, thank you for your constructive criticism.

---x---x---x---

A/N: Anyhow! Heads up! Check out the challenge/contest I'm proposing! I posted it as a 'fanfic' but the details are there, so I hope you spread the word and participate!

Now… on to the story!

---x---x---x---

**Beautiful**

Yellow woke up to unfamiliar surroundings and sunlight.

She was in an unfamiliar bed, Pika curled up beside her. She looked to her other side and saw… Lance?

Her eyes widened and she screamed.

---x---x---x---

His eyes shot open as he heard a high-pitched scream. He smirked as he sat up, lifting the covers to reveal his well-toned chest.

He continued to smirk as she turned red with mortification. Beside her, Red's Pikachu woke up, startled, alert and on its paws and growling menacingly.

"I—you—I—how?" She stuttered, confused and embarrassed.

"Your voice is awfully high." He commented casually. "Have you hit your growth spurt yet?" And his eyes glimmered in amusement as she shot out of bed and disappeared around the corner. There was a loud slam as another door closed, signaling that she was in the bathroom.

He waited until he heard water running before chuckling quietly.

She was so fun to tease.

---x---x---x---

Yellow glanced at herself in the bathroom mirror. Oh Mew, she was as red as a tomato!

But… did Lance suspect that she was really a girl?

She shook her head fiercely, drowning the thoughts. He couldn't.

A short while later, Yellow emerged from the bathroom to find a fully dressed Lance standing by the window, looking outside.

She watched him quietly. It had been 2 years since she had last seen him, and he was still as good-looking as ever, if not better. He was 19 now, and his dark red hair and intense liquid amber eyes only served to emphasize his striking features. The black long-sleeves shirt he wore only emphasized his muscles, and—

"Like what you see?" A cool, amused voice interrupted her thoughts.

Yellow jumped, flushing red. "I—what—you--!?"

"Let's go to the hot springs. Blackthorn is famous for them. They are rumored to provide the best stress relief out of all the towns." He suggested casually.

Her eyes widened. Was he hinting something? Was he telling her he knew her secret? She panicked. If she said yes, he would find out. But if she said no, he would find out anyways.

"Pikaaaa~!" Pika's ears perked up at the mention of 'hot springs', and looked at his temporary mistress imploringly.

She gave in. Pika needed some time off; he deserved at least that much.

"All right," She said resignedly. She sighed inwardly. She would deal with it later.

---x---x---x---

"Here you are, gentlemen, make yourselves at home!" The young woman greeted as she led them to a private room and left.

Lance smirked as he stepped into the water. He turned and looked at the young healer, who had wrapped the towel over her entire body. Red's Pikachu was relaxing on a life saver float and lying contently, a pair of sunglasses on his face and a small drink topped with an miniature umbrella in one hand.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Yellow. We're all men here, after all." The Dragon Master said blandly, inwardly taking pleasure as Yellow turned red again and all but threw herself into the hot spring, submerging until only her head (and straw hat) was above the water.

"Why don't you take the hat off so you can actually enjoy the hot spring?" Lance asked, moving closer to the younger girl until they were almost touching.

He smirked as she scuttled backwards in embarrassment. He moved closer, as she moved backwards until she hit the wall on the other side of the hot spring.

His smirk grew wider as her eyes widened in panic. One hand moved up to clutch at her hat.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. Why don't you take off your hat?" He suggested, moving forward again until they were scant inches apart.

She shook her head fiercely, her face flushed bright red from their proximity.

"Oh don't be difficult. Take it off." Lance said, reaching out to take hold of her – small – hands.

She shook her head again.

Lance moved forward and closed the distance between them, pulling her small frame to his lean one.

"Take off your hat."

---x---x---x---

Oh Mew, he knew.

He _knew_!

Yellow was so red from embarrassment she thought she was going to faint.

She could feel his muscles and how nicely toned they were and… something poking at her?

Her eyes widened and she blushed harder, if it was possible. She was glad her face was buried in the crook of his neck.

"I won't say it again, Yellow. Take it off." The Dragon Master commanded, saying her name in such a way that shivers ran up her spine.

Resigned to her fate, Yellow lifted one hand, her fingers trembling as she pulled her hat off.

Light blonde hair spilled out of the hat, and a gentle hand lifted her chin so she could look at Lance face-to-face.

---x---x---x---

Intense liquid amber eyes bore into wide brown ones.

This was the first time he had seen her for who she was, and he was helplessly captivated by her beauty.

He relished in the feel of her petite frame pressed to his, the feel of her soft curves and the shy manner in which she held herself. She was so dangerously innocent he couldn't help but be turned on by her naivety.

"Is this your first time with a man?" He asked huskily, dropping his voice to a lower pitch, relishing as he saw shivers run up her spine as her eyes widened and her face turned red again.

"I'll take this as a yes." He commented, languidly placing one hand on her waist. "There are several things you have to learn." He continued, trailing it to her back and pulling her to him again.

She squeaked in protest when he pulled the hair tie that held her hair and loosened it from its restraint. Her hair came tumbling down her shoulders, messily framing her heart-shaped face and giving her a sexy, disheveled look.

"Not too bad," He murmured, his free hand moving of its own accord and running his fingers through her soft waves.

---x---x---x---

Yellow felt everything grow warmer and hotter, and her face grew redder and redder until her vision turned hazy.

And Lance running his fingers through her hair wasn't helping much.

It undid her.

Her vision turned black as she fainted.

_End Chapter 2._


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you thank you thank you so much for your wonderful support! They never fail to make my day! ^^v

Thanks once again to ShinakaStar, RoseMasterD87, Kitsune Kit, and BloodySixy!

A/N: This is probably going to be the longest chapter of the entire story. (Over 2000 words!) I hope it wasn't too rushed or extremely OOC… .

Now… on to the story!

---x---x---x---

**She's So High**

"Let me get this straight: You put your moves on a girl – even though I've never been informed that you've been in any sort of relationship besides your Pokemon – and she _fainted_ on you!" Claire asked, her blue eyes wide in a mixture of amazement and amusement.

"Not my _moves_, but essentially correct." Lance confirmed as his cousin burst into peals of laughter.

"I like her already!" Claire declared, her eyes glimmering with mirth. "Who is she?"

Claire was Lance's cousin, another dragon trainer like herself. She was also the gym leader of Blackthorn, and a female, to boot.

She was also one of the very few people Lance trusted.

Which was why he came to her.

"Yellow of Viridian." He informed, patiently letting her digest the facts.

Sure enough, her eyes widened. "He—she--!"

He nodded in confirmation, while his cousin simply looked thoughtful. "That makes a lot of sense now! It would certainly explain a lot…" She trailed off before interrupting herself. "Anyhow. She seems so naïve; I think she's just really innocent. Why don't you bring her to the Spring Festival tonight? Bring her over this afternoon and I'll get her ready!" She suggested.

Her cousin nodded his thanks and left.

---x---x---x---

Yellow woke up with a sense of déjà vu as she took in semi-familiar surroundings. She noticed Pika dozing off to her side and Lance at the window again.

"Umm… what happened…?" She asked, nervously fidgeting.

"You fainted." He deadpanned, turning from the window to her, his ever intense amber eyes focusing on her.

She then realized something.

There was a flurry of rustling as the bed sheets flew up.

"I—I—you—KYAHHHHHHHH!" She screamed as she looked down at her unfamiliar clothing, turning bright red. "You—you—took advantage of me!"

Pika blinked sleepy eyes as his temporary mistress's voice startled him from his blissful nap.

The Dragon Master smirked. "I only asked the maid to change your clothing for you. It would be most… inconvenient if you caught a cold and became sick."

Her eyes widened and she blushed harder as she realized what she had implied. But the damage was already done.

Lance stepped away from the window and towards her. "Do you really think that lowly of me?"

"I—I—" She stuttered, stumbling over her words as she tried to apologize.

He stopped in front of her. "Well then, since you're incapable of speech, I guess I'll have to prove you wrong."

---x---x---x---

She squeaked, her face a familiar shade of red as he climbed into the bed and over her, his body effectively caging her and smirking as he eyed her like one would a particularly juicy piece of meat.

"And since you have express your desire for me to… take advantage of you, we shouldn't waste any time. Not if you want to go out later, anyways." His smirk grew as he straddled her, looking at the clothes the maid had brought.

It was a simple sleeping gown, which did little to hide the curves of her body. In fact, it tempted him even more, hiding some curves here and there, and making him wonder what was hidden underneath. However, it did show her cleavage off quite nicely.

"Lance!" She shouted in a trembling voice, her lovely brown eyes widened partially in fear.

"Yes?" He asked pleasantly, not budging an inch and instead reaching one hand out to caress her face.

"Please stop. I-I didn't mean to say it-" She continued in her trembling voice.

---x---x---x---

The Dragon Master brought his hand away and looked at her, studying her.

She blushed again as his amber eyes bore into hers.

"…very well."

She released an inward sigh she wasn't aware of holding.

"On one condition."

---x---x---x---

…which was how she found herself at the Blackthorn Gym 30 minutes later, Pika at her heels.

Lance had dropped her off and gave her a quick but commanding, "Behave." before disappearing.

She blinked and wondered what to do for a bit, before the doors of the gym burst open and Clair of Blackthorn came out, smiling and waving.

"Hello! You must be Yellow!" She greeted.

The young healer nodded dumbly, while Pika looked up at her in confusion. But the young healer could not quite explain to Pika what was going on, since she was not aware of it either.

"I'm Claire, Lance's cousin. Well, come on in!" The gym leader introduced as she made a grand sweeping gesture towards the gym.

"Umm… what am I doing here?" Yellow asked, hesitantly following Claire.

"Why, I'm here to get you ready for the Spring Festival tonight!" The gym leader answered cheerfully, steering the younger girl through the confusing corridors and passages of the gym.

They turned up a flight of stairs and down the hall and made a left into a room with a soft golden light.

They stepped inside and Yellow gasped.

There were racks upon racks of clothing – dresses, the young healer mentally noted with fainting horror – to her left. To her right were boxes upon boxes of a mountain of shoes – high heels of every kind, the young healer mentally noted with growing horror. And finally, in the center of the room, were boxes and palettes and more boxes of every kind of make-up imaginable.

The young healer took one look at the room and screamed.

---x---x---x---

"Who is that girl, Lance?" Karen asked him in a steely voice, her Umbreon curled around her legs.

"Someone." The Dragon Master replied in an equally icy voice, his Dragonair floating behind him, her eyes trained on the Dark trainer and ready to attack at any given moment.

"You can't have a _relationship_. You're the _Champion_. You can have a play thing, but they won't let you have her." The Dark Mistress spat. Beside her, Umbreon was fiercely baring its teeth, still and ready to engage in battle at its mistress's signal.

"She is my business. None of yours." Lance replied.

"Lorelei is keeping an eye on _Yellow of Viridian_. She and the other members of the Elite Four will do their duty to keep you with us, no matter what the cost." Karen spoke casually.

The Dragon Master tensed.

"Oh, you think we don't know? That Pikachu of Red's is recognizable anywhere. You've fallen for the little healer. That's pathetic. You can have any woman you want, Lance. Any woman more powerful than her. Are you just bored? Or are you simply being defiant?" The Dark Mistress questioned seductively.

"What's mine is mine. If any of you interfere, I will bring you down personally and painfully." Lance threatened, his intense amber eyes cold and final.

Karen smirked. "Then I wonder… how will she look at you once she sees this?" She held up an orb that looked no bigger than a Pokeball and threw it to Lance.

The Dragon Master caught the Pokeball-sized orb and recognized it as a memory device.

He was suddenly surrounded by grey, and shadows depicting an erotic scene, and he heard voices.

"_Lance, oh Lance, it feels so good…"_

"_Moan."_

"_Faster, oh faster, please…"_

"_Louder."_

"_Oh Lance, please, harder, faster, I'm so close…"_

"_Beg."_

"_I'm so close Lance, faster, faster, AHHHHHH…"_

"_This won't be it for the night. Karen."_

The false memory abruptly ended, and Lance forced himself to look up at the cunning Dark Mistress. "Well?"

The Dragon Master responded by tossing the orb up towards his Pokemon. "Dragonair."

There was a bright blinding flash of light as the dragon destroyed the memory orb, and then threw a Hyperbeam at Umbreon, who dodged but unfortunately left his mistress unprotected.

There was an explosion as the area around them shook from the force of the Hyperbeam and smoke and debris flew up.

When the smoke cleared, the Karen was lying unconscious on the ground, her Umbreon nowhere in sight.

"If any of you hurt or go after her, I will hunt you down and destroy you." The Dragon Master spoke in a cold, icy voice that held no mercy but promised wrath and vengeance.

He left the threats unspoken.

_Painfully._

_Mercilessly._

She was his.

No one would keep him from her.

---x---x---x---

He came back after 2 hours, figuring that 2 hours was enough time for Clair to get Yellow ready.

Girls shouldn't take that long… right?

It had taken all but 10 minutes to change out of his usual attire into something more casual. But he still kept his coat. He wore a much more simple version of his outfit, in plain black and more form fitting.

He entered the gym silently, one Pokeball at the ready.

Remembering where Claire's room was, he easily navigated through the twisting passages and corridors of the gym before reaching the hallway where her room was.

As he neared, he heard two female voices shouting.

"NOT THE LIPSTICK!" A terrified voice screamed. Yellow.

"How about mascara?" Another placating voice soothed. Claire.

"No makeup!" Yellow shouted, her eyes wide and horrified.

Curious, and unable to keep the grin off his face, he decided to enter the room.

His eyes widened as he saw the transformation that had taken place.

Instead of her usual outfit, Yellow was wearing a white jumper dress with two wide straps draping over her shoulders. The dress had a pocket on both sides and reached a couple inches above her knees. She had on a pair of wedges with white straps that wrapped around her ankles and tied into bows on both sides of said ankles. And her usual straw hat was in place, except her hair was down.

Now that her hair was down, it reached her waist, bangs falling to frame her heart-shaped face and emphasizing her feminine features. The dress fit her perfectly, not exposing her cleavage but hinting what was underneath. It made her look small and petite and adorable.

There was not a single trace of makeup that Claire could beg or bully her into putting on, but in Lance's opinion, she looked even more beautiful. Her natural beauty shone through, showing off her warm brown eyes and cupid's bow lips.

Lance was stunned.

"Well, you've knocked one out already!" Claire announced cheerfully, noticing her cousin standing dumbstruck at the door.

Yellow turned and looked at him, relief evident in her eyes.

Lance nodded. "Let's go."

Looking back over his shoulder as he led her out, he mouthed a silent thanks to his cousin, who nodded her understanding and waved him off.

---x---x---x---

She had never been so relieved to see the Dragon Master in her life.

He would get her away from this crazy happy woman!

She shouted a heart felt "Thank you" to the Gym Leader. It was the least she could do, seeing as Lance's cousin _did_ help her get ready…

How the great, stoic Lance could be related to the insanely happy Claire was beyond Yellow's comprehension. (And she didn't really want to know.)

Pika jumped on her shoulder as Lance led her out of Blackthorn Gym.

---x---x---x---

"Some ice cream for the pretty lady!" A vendor smiled, handing her a spoon and a wafer cup filled with strawberry ice cream.

"Thank you!" Yellow smiled as she gratefully accepted the cold treat.

She had offered some to the Dragon Master, but he had politely refused, opting to watch her enjoy the delicacy instead.

Pika was exploring the stands ahead, nibbling on a small cone of cotton candy that another vendor had given him. Children everywhere were pointing and cooing at the little mouse that was scouting the festival, leaving his temporary mistress and the Dragon Master that he didn't really like but would tolerate.

Lance stayed quiet, observing the young petite woman as she interacted with various people. She seemed more open with him ever since he… _rescued_ her from his cousin. He would really have to meet up with his cousin later and personally thank her.

"Hey lady! Why don't you have some noodles? They're quite tasty!" Another vendor greeted, holding out a cup of said noodles.

"Oh no, I couldn't," She started, gesturing with ice cream wafer cup, her hands occupied, one holding it and one using the spoon to scoop it into her mouth. But then turned to him. "Do you want some noodles? You haven't eaten anything yet…" She trailed off uncertainly.

He shook his head. "I'll be fine."

The healer politely declined the offer, thanking the vendor before they continued onwards.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Awwwww that's so cute!" She cooed towards another stand.

Lance turned his head in line with her vision.

She was looking at a bunch of Pokemon plushies offered as a prize for a hoop game.

He inwardly sighed.

'_Oh what the heck.'_

---x---x---x---

"Do you want one?" A soft, velvety, husky voice asked her.

Before she knew it, she was led to the hoop game and Lance bought two sets of balls.

The object of the game was to get at least one ball into the hoop for a prize. One set bought you two balls, so Lance had bought four.

"Hello there! This game is pretty simple, young man, all you need to do to win a prize or more for your pretty lady is to make the ball into the hoop!" The young man in charge of the stand smiled and explained, before waving at Lance to begin.

The Dragon Master seemed almost bored as he casually tossed each ball towards the hoop.

"Mister, you're really good at this! You won four prizes for your lady!" The young man exclaimed, pointing to the stall of prizes nearby.

"Pick four." The Dragon Master said, his soft yet commanding voice whispering in her ear.

The young girl nodded and she picked out a Pikachu, Rattata, Caterpie, and Dragonair. The young man gave her a net so she could display her prizes.

---x---x---x---

"Thank you Lance!" The young girl chirped happily, surprising him as she hugged the prizes to her and threw her arms around him enthusiastically, her ice cream all but forgotten.

His features softened as he gently smiled down at her before wrapping one arm around her waist. Smirking as an idea hit him, he swiftly bent down and kissed her cheek, catching her off guard and making her blush, before enfolding her in his cloak as he led her away from the stall to enjoy the rest of the festival.

_End Chapter 3._


	4. Chapter 4

I can't stop stressing how much your support means to me. Really. Without you guys, your positive comments, I think I'd be outta brain juice to keep writing this. But we're almost at the end, just 2 more chapters to go (including this one), so hang on tight!

Many thanks to Kitsune Kit, Jade vert, and psychobubbles for your wonderful reviews!

Author's Note: I hope everybody noticed that I switched some characters around… Like for example, The 'Elite Four' consists of Lorelei, Karen, Koga, Bruno, and Lance. . The Indigo Plateau consists of Lorelei, Agatha, Bruno, and Lance, like the canon game/series. Hope that doesn't mix anyone up!

Now… on with the story!

-x-x-x-

**Like Wine**

"So how was the festival?" Claire asked.

It was early morning the next day, and the two dragon trainers were sitting at the Blackthorn Gym over steaming cups of coffee.

"Adequate." Her cousin replied.

Claire rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Not for you, you numbskull. You're about as dense as a Gastly! I'm asking how it was with Yellow! What did you guys do? Did anything happen?"

"She wanted a plushie." Lance offered.

"And?" Claire pressed.

"So I got her one." He replied.

"Awwwww," Claire cooed. "And then what?"

"She hugged me."

"And?"

"I hugged her back."

"No kissing?" Claire asked, incredulous.

"On the cheek." He stated.

"Well, that's a step if nothing!" His cousin declared happily. "Next up… go on a date!"

-x-x-x-

Yellow woke up again, but by now she was used to her surroundings. Pika was curled up near her, tired from the festival and sleeping contentedly.

She blushed as she thought about the kiss Lance bestowed upon her cheek. It made her feel warm and… tingly… inside. And she didn't know why. She thought back more. Lance was wearing… an all-black version of his usual uniform, except for the cloak. It was form fitting and made him look _very_ handsome. And the way he held her in his arm and wrapped his cloak around them…

She felt her face heat up again. _'Of all people, why me!'_ She silently wailed in distress, feeling her face flame up again.

Just then, the door clicked open and the person of her thoughts came in.

"Good morning." He greeted politely.

"G-Good morning," She stuttered awkwardly.

As if sensing her unspoken question, he continued, "You fell asleep yesterday as we were coming back. I decided it would be quicker if I carried you back rather than wake you up and risk letting you injure yourself."

-x-x-x-

He let her digest the information he had given her and watched in amusement as she pinkened.

She was really too innocent for her own good. Of course, that was also part of the reason that she drew him to her like a moth to a flame. Living and growing up in a world shrouded by darkness had yet to corrupt her innocence, whereas he was still fighting the darkness that threatened to devour him at all turns. In a way, she was his salvation.

"Since it seems that we have nothing planned, what would you like to do today?" He asked cordially.

The surprise on her face was evident. It was only a couple days since they had met and he had flirted and teased her mercilessly, and now he was being polite and somewhat respectful. Said surprise turned to suspicion as the Dragon Master inwardly voiced his thoughts.

"Ummm… I was thinking about taking a walk around and exploring the area." The young healer finally replied, sitting up in bed and holding an awake Red's Pikachu in her lap.

He nodded. "I'll give you time to… prepare yourself. I will wait outside."

And he turned and left the room.

-x-x-x-

Predictably, as soon as he stepped outside, he was assaulted by—

"Lance."

The Dewgong and Cloyster were a dead giveaway.

He sighed inwardly and turned to the Elite Four member with annoyance, one hand gripping the Pokeball containing his Dragonair. "Lorelei."

"Karen was most displeased by how you treated her the other day." The Ice Mistress stated.

"Tell her she's lucky to be alive." The Dragon Master said indifferently.

Her eyes flickered with irritation and fury. "You were supposed to be back two days ago. You're one of us, Lance. You can't be with her. She will only hinder you."

"And I suppose this is the part where you come in with your little threats." Lance stated.

"They'll want her destroyed. She is a distraction, Lance. All they see is their beloved Champion screwing around with his _slut_. Unless you do something about it." She said, her voice laced with venom, her eyes boring into his.

"Leave." Said Champion said in cold anger, his voice steely immovable.

"You leave me no choice, Lance. Dewgong! Cloyster!" She waved an arm.

At their mistress' silent command, the two Pokemon advanced toward the room Lance exited only moments earlier.

His eyes widened with shock and unbridled fury as he moved into action.

There were two flashes as two Dragonair appeared, and at the same time, Lorelei's Pokemon broke down the door.

There was a scream and a bright flash, and Dewgong went flying backwards, hitting the wall and slumping to the ground unconscious. A cloud of smoke floated up from the impact, halting everyone in their movement.

When the smoke cleared, it revealed that an unconscious Cloyster had joined the unconscious Dewgong on the ground. Red's Pikachu was crouching in front of Yellow, growling fiercely, sparks flying from its cheeks. Behind Red's Pikachu was Yellow, wearing a tank top and skirt, her hair down and her usual hat in place, and her Pokebelt draped slanted and loosely around her waist.

Lance released an inward sigh of relief. He had been worried that she would be injured, but Red's Pikachu came through as always. Now he could focus on the situation on hand.

"Lorelei, what do you want?" Yellow asked, her normally soft voice laced with determination and protectiveness.

The Ice Mistress glared coldly at the young healer. "You're a hindrance. You need to be disposed of."

The younger girl's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I'm a… hindrance?" Beside her, Red's Pikachu also looked at the Elite Four member with curiosity.

"Don't play innocent. You're a distraction to Lance. Stay away from him and—" Lorelei snapped, and her eyes widened as she threw herself to the ground, barely missing the Hyperbeam flying over her head.

"I won't say it again. Leave." The Dragon Master stated coldly, Dragonair hovering behind him, eyeing the Ice Mistress.

Lorelei gracefully picked herself off the ground, reaching for another Pokeball, only—

"Looking for this?" Yellow asked from across the room, gesturing to the Pokeballs that Red's Pikachu was now in possession of. The smaller Pokemon cheekily grinned at the Ice Mistress before depositing his haul in front of his temporary mistress.

Yellow bent down to secure the Pokeballs, and then straightened up, turning to the Ice Mistress. "I'll give your Pokemon back to you if you leave without causing further havoc." She negotiated.

"I'll kill you!" Lorelei snarled, her eyes flashing with fury.

Pika growled at her aggressiveness, sparks flying from his cheeks.

"Now now, Lorelei, play nice," A cheerfully deceptive voice interrupted.

Clair had arrived.

"Now, I normally don't make house calls. But when someone alerted me that a member of the Elite Four arrived, I was like, 'Okay, so they finally noticed Lance.' But when they told me it wasn't my cousin, I knew something was up. Go back and get some sleep. You probably need it. And stop terrorizing my people!" The Blackthorn gym leader declared from atop her Dragonair, her voice amiable and her eyes anything but.

"Like you don't?" Lorelei retorted, eyeing the newest arrival with an air of apprehension.

She was clearly outnumbered; any of them could see that.

"I'm leaving." Lorelei stated. "You've won this round, Lance, but your cousin won't always be around to save you or your slut."

With that, she strode across the room and snatched her belongings from the stunned healer, summoned her Pokemon back into their Pokeballs, and left.

-x-x-x-

Lorelei had called her a... slut?

Why?

Yellow was deeply confused as to why the Elite Four member would call her such a degrading term. She had done nothing to merit it!

"Yellow." A familiar voice drew her from her thoughts.

-x-x-x-

She turned to Clair, who had gently gripped the young healer by her shoulders to grab her attention. "There's been a… discrepancy as of late." Clair started, trying her best to explain to the healer without revealing too much. "The Elite Four thinks that you are a distraction to Lance, and because you aren't one of them, they want to get rid of you."

The young healer looked confused, her expression one of bewilderment. "But why? What did I do?"

Clair sighed. "Lance was supposed to join them two days ago. Apparently, they saw you with him and thought he was spending too much time with you."

If possible, Yellow looked even more confused. "But I met him two days ago."

"I was on my way to meet them when I happened to pass you and your… dilemma." Lance interjected smoothly, instantly grabbing the young healer's attention. "It just so happened that I was… intrigued and I decided to see for myself."

As if sensing the need, Clair stated, "Well, I'm sure you can handle the rest. Take care of yourselves and don't be afraid to call me if you need back-up. You can't beat them all by yourselves." With that, the Dragon Mistress nodded to her Dragonair and took off.

After she was gone, Yellow turned back to Lance. "See what?"

The Dragon Master turned and looked at her, his ever intense amber eyes boring into her wide curious brown ones.

"An angel."

-x-x-x-

_Ba-bump ba-bump ba-bump—_

Yellow felt her heartbeat speed up, her eyes locking with Lance's passionate, serious ones as he leaned forward, closer and closer until they were touching nose to nose.

"You interest me." He stated simply, his eyes seeming to shine golden with intensity. "I don't know if this is love or lust. We're completely different. Opposites, you could say. However, I would like to get to know you better, if you will allow."

Momentarily rendered speechless, she nodded, wide-eyed.

"Then… would you be interested in accompanying me for dinner tonight at the café a couple blocks down? I hear they have an excellent sushi bar." He stated slowly.

"A-Alright," She heard herself agreeing, blinking rapidly and trying to digress if this was some sort of dream.

"Then I'll be back in a couple hours. Hopefully that will be enough time for you to… do whatever it is you females do. Clair would like to remind you that she's available should you need assistance." He said, looking slightly bewildered but nonetheless reassuring.

At the mention of the Blackthorn gym leader, she blanched. "No! I mean, I'll be fine! By myself! And Pika!" She added hastily, gesturing to Red's Pikachu.

Meanwhile, Pika was laying on a pillow, drowsing off, completely oblivious (at the moment) to the two trainers.

He merely smirked before leaning forward to brush her lips against the tip of her nose before withdrawing and leaving.

Only when she was sure that he was gone did she allow herself to groan out loud, waking Pika up, who looked at her with sleepy, amused eyes. "Pika?"

"Why me?" She asked in dismay.

-x-x-x-

A couple hours later Lance found himself standing outside their hotel room wearing an outfit similar to the one he wore the previous day, except it was black with dark orange stripes running down his sleeves, and a black cape with a dark orange inside.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the door tentatively.

There was a short silence. Then Yellow shouted, "Coming!" and there was a cluster of noises as footsteps echoed across the room and the door was flung open to reveal Yellow wearing a lavender colored dress with spaghetti straps. Her hair was down and she wore matching flats. Pika was on her left shoulder, excited to head out and eat some food.

"Ready?" He asked politely, offering her his elbow.

She nodded, taking his elbow and offering him a smile.

-x-x-x-

A short time later found them at the café, sitting across each other at a small booth in the corner. Pika sat next to Yellow, contentedly munching away at some fries (with the assistance of a large bottle of ketchup).

"Do you like the food?" Lance asked.

Yellow nodded, smiling. "It reminds me of this dish my mom used to make."

The rest of their meal continued in silence.

Shortly after the waiter came to give them the bill (which he insisted on paying for) and clearing away the dishes, he looked outside at the clear sky and suggested, "Would you like to take a stroll in the park?"

Her eyes lit up. "Will we see the stars?"

He nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "They always shine the brightest in Blackthorn."

-x-x-x-

She sighed happily, looking up at the stars. "They're really bright!"

"I told you so." He smirked.

"They look so happy…" She said, her eyes glazed and faraway, reflecting the brightness of the stars.

"Stars can't look happy." He stated.

"But those two do." She pointed up towards two bright shining stars, away from the rest of the others and shining with an intensity that was breathtaking.

"Like you?" He asked quietly.

She looked towards him, her eyes still glazed but mixed with a hint of confusion, a slight blush grazing her face.

He leaned forward and gently caught her lips with his.

And realized she was right.

_End Chapter 4._


	5. Chapter 5

Notes and thank yous are at the bottom. You may now proceed and read the last chapter!(:

-x-x-x-

**At the Beginning With You**

"Details, Lance. I. Want. Details!" Clair announced from across the table.

"I heard you the first couple times, Clair." Lance said smoothly, sipping at his hot coffee.

"Then spill!" The Blackthorn gym leader commanded.

Her cousin sighed. "We went on a date."

"And?" Clair prodded.

"We went to a café." Lance stated.

"And?" She glared at him, her veins starting to pop out.

"We ate." He smirked.

"AND! I WANT DETAILS LANCE!" She shouted, her eyes lighting up on fire, her head enlarging, and her veins popping out violently.

"We went on a date." He reiterated calmly.

Howls of frustration and threats of imminent demise could be heard throughout the gym, along with strings of cursing and shouts of fury.

Amidst it all, Lance sat and smirked and calmly sipped his coffee.

-x-x-x-

Yellow woke up feeling like she was floating through a dream.

She was herself in a field of beautiful flowers, taller than her knees, rising and blooming in each and every direction.

And then she saw _him_.

Him in all his glory. His cape swishing around him while he stood atop his Dragonair, coolly viewing the world around him.

One smirk sent in her direction had her flushing as red as a tomato—

Her eyes snapped open and she unleashed a scream of frustration.

Some time later, the young healer sat on top of the bed, Pika still napping away.

"I'm tired of this!" She declared, her voice filled with fury and frustration.

"Tired of what?" An amused voice asked from the door.

She turned to him, ready to vent all her frustrations on him. "I'm tired of—" Sadly, her voice trailed off as the Dragon Master trained his eyes on her, probing her and telling her to continue. Her face turned red again, but she was determined this time. She would get to the bottom of this.

"I'm tired of you making me turn red!" She finally burst out. "It's embarrassing, you're always laughing at me! Are you making fun of me? You—You do all these things and sometimes you're so nice to me and other times you're just a jerk, and—mmph!"

She was abruptly interrupted as the Dragon Master leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, effectively silencing her.

Her eyes widened, but to her surprise, she wasn't blushing as bad as she was originally.

"I don't see you turning red now." Lance commented casually, as he let her go and observed her face.

He kissed her again, and this time, she found herself enjoying it, and shyly returning his attention.

"I don't see you complaining much now." The Dragon Master teased when they finally withdrew from one another.

The healer blushed hotly, defiantly declaring, "That's because there's not much to complain about!" And then she grew mischievous as she said coyly, "Especially when there's such a… _stunning_ specimen in front of me."

Lance declared himself a person rarely impressed or silenced.

But this… _vixen_… disarmed him with her teasing. He had never reacted this way to other women before. But of course, she was no ordinary woman.

He blushed, feeling his cheeks grow warm.

She grinned. "Got'cha back!"

He growled playfully. "My turn." And proceeded to do so.

-x-x-x-

"…L-Lance?" She asked tentatively, some time later.

"Hmmm?" He turned to look at her.

"What do you think will happen to us now?" She asked, biting her bottom lip.

"Well, we'll have to announce our… relationship status to the rest of the Elite Four, then battle them for dominance. If we win, they'll have no choice but to accept our relationship. But if we lose, well, I have no intentions of bending to their every whim anyhow." He stated simply.

She looked puzzled. "So… we're just… entertaining them?"

"If you want to look at it that way. The Indigo Plateau cannot interfere with my business. As for the Elite Four… Bruno and Koga don't really care either way. Bruno's Bruno and Koga's married. It's only Karen and Lorelei that care. That's 3 to 2, meaning it doesn't matter in the end." He replied.

"So… what does that mean for us?" She asked, confused by his casual tone.

"It means this." He said, and leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.

When they finally pulled apart, she looked down and saw a single sunflower, petals open, spilling bright sunshine.

"Hello, my name is Lance. I couldn't help but notice that a beautiful girl such as yourself was alone. Would you like some company?" He said, his tone filled with warmth and good humor.

She giggled, taking the sunflower from him. "Hello, I'm Yellow, and I'd love if you would join me."

And they collapsed in each other's arms, laughing as they startled Pika, who chittered frantically before snuggling between them contentedly, looking outside the window where the sun was just rising, sharing its rays and brightness and happiness, signaling a new beginning.

_The End._

-x-x-x-

Author's Note: Well, this is it. There's not going to be a sequel or anything like it. Personally, I like this paring and think Lance and Yellow are rather compatible (opposites attract!), so I wanted to write something in support of them. Sorry if it seems sort of rushed. The ending just came to me and I had to write it! And Pika kept coming in and out at random times… I wanted to keep him in the story and at times I kept forgetting about him . Anyhow, thanks a bunch for reading it, and especially thank you to everybody who reviewed or added this story or me to their favorites list. Thank you so much! And um. Sorry this chapter is so short. Please don't kill me! *ducks under a table*

Author's Note 2: About the titles… they are based on songs or quotes that I particularly like. Ahaha. I've included explanations for each one for your benefit.

Prelude – As in a prelude to a story

Beautiful – What Makes You Different (Makes You Beautiful) by the Backstreet Boys

She's So High – By Everclear

Like Wine – From Fahrenheit 451, as said by Clarisse McClellan

At the Beginning With You – From the Anastasia movie, sung by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis


End file.
